Szereto, Mellanie - Two from the Triangle [Bewitching Desires 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Read Free Page B

few widely scattered scrubby trees between the eastern side they walked along and the visible western coast. The strip of land extended to the north farther than he could see. Had they landed on Hawksbill Cays? Based on the last compass headings, he’d have to say yes—which put them about a mile swim from the sparsely populated Little Abaco Island. Too far and too dangerous.
    They arrived back at the rock, but Heath was nowhere in sight. His gear was still strewn on the sand, and footprints led in the opposite direction they’d come from. If he’d gone hunting food and water, odds were he’d return empty-handed. The few times Owen had flown over the area, he’d seen nothing but rocks, sand, and some pine trees on the outer cays. No towns, no streams, and very little vegetation.
    Another trio of evergreens not far from the beach offered a chance of getting out of the afternoon sun. He aimed for the glorified shrubs, snapping the skirt over the tops to form an umbrella. A lopsided triangular shadow appeared on the ground.
    He spread out her sweater for a place to sit. “Not the Ritz, but it’ll keep the sun off you.”
    “Thank you. It’s fine.” She dropped into the shade, sighing as she folded her knees up to her chin again. Her smooth pale skin had already turned pink. “You don’t have to babysit me. I am an adult, even if I don’t look like one.”
    Obviously Heath hadn’t been the first to question her age. Rather than being annoyed or angered by it, her demeanor seemed to indicate resignation. She stared at some point past him, her full lips drawn into a frown beneath the sunburned tip of her dainty nose. Dark lashes hid her expressive eyes. She reminded him of a delicate, mythical creature with the ability to bring men to their knees in worship of her—not that she seemed aware of her own power.
    He sat just outside of the protective shadow, unwilling to leave her. Although he’d accused Heath of ogling her petite figure, Owen wasn’t blind—or a monk. “There’s this aura of innocence around you. I guess it makes you seem younger than you are.”
    “Innocence?” She growled the word and flipped her hair over her shoulder with a toss of her head. “Wonderful. In the eyes of every man, I’m a wholesome child. Just what I wanted to hear.” Bringing her arms up to cross them on her knees, she buried her face. “Like I said, I don’t need a babysitter.”
    Her dismissal couldn’t have been clearer, but he wasn’t about to let her push him away. While she might exude artlessness, his body had recognized her as a woman the moment she’d bent over to lay out her wet skirt on the sand to dry. Heath’s remarks regarding her age were likely his way of grousing after the disaster of a test flight today. Neither of them could’ve missed her utter femininity.
    Owen glanced her direction. “I’m not babysitting. And believe me, I know you’re not a child.”
    Her eyebrows rose as she lifted her head, and she rolled her eyes. “Too late to save face, Owen. I own a mirror.”
    Turning toward her, he waited for her to meet his gaze. “Young looking or not, you’re perfect the way you are. Don’t let anyone tell you different. I love your hair, and those eyes... Not to mention the rest of you.” He couldn’t resist a visual stroll down her body. His dick pressing against his zipper was all the proof he needed that she was his kind of woman.
    Running her fingers through the loose curls tumbling down her back, she busied herself with a tangle in the long brown strands, ignoring his compliment. “Have you checked for cell service? If we’re in the Bahamas, one of the other islands should have a tower.”
    Cell service? A tower? What was she talking about?
    “You have a cell phone, don’t you?”
    He replayed her words in his mind, hoping for a moment of comprehension, but none came. “What’s a cell phone?”
    Her brows lowered into a vee, and she frowned at him. “A cellular telephone. A